Ukraine and NATO are talking about expanding joint air defense and counter-drone capabilities, the Ministry of Defense announced on 24 March. That includes growing cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign companies and integrating Ukrainian tech into NATO systems.
Special attention is focused on interceptor drones and Ukraine’s Delta battle management system, with a goal to be able to take down 95% of all air threats, according to Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boev.
"The share of interceptors in target takedowns is constantly growing," Boev said in the statement.
Kyiv is pushing to take advantage of the surging global demand in its drone technology and expertise, especially with affordable air defense. European interest rose after Russian Shaheds' incursion into Poland and Romania in September, prompting calls for a European "drone wall."
But international enthusiasm truly kicked into high gear following the US-Israeli war on Iran. According to defense industry sources, Ukraine can stand to make billions of dollars.
As of last week, 11 countries made overtures to acquire Ukrainian weapons and hire trainers to teach how to use them. Ukraine dispatched trainers to at least four Gulf states. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on 23 March wrote that interest isn’t confined to the Middle East.
“Countries across the world are watching developments in the Middle East and seeing how cost-effective and technologically advanced Ukrainian capabilities are,” he posted on Twitter.
“We are interested in developing mutually beneficial partnerships, not only in Europe, North America, and the Gulf, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions.”
However, Ukraine must move quickly if it hopes to benefit from this demand.
Speaking to DW, Dmytro Sledyuk, of the Dronarium Academy in Kyiv, predicted demand is likely to peak soon, calling for the government to remove bureaucratic hurdles. He said that quick decisions are needed — interest will wane if the process drags on for over a year.
Sources who spoke to Euromaidan Press had different assessments of how close Ukraine is to having a streamlined system for weapon exports and expertise sharing, but agreed that as of now, more work remains to be done.
Focus on Delta
According to Boev, the recent NATO meeting included Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Pierre Vandier, as well as reps from Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Command, military intelligence directorate, the Brave1 defense business incubator and the team behind Delta.
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The Delta system provides situational awareness to warfighters. That includes mission tracking, target identification, monitoring of engagement results, and obtaining battlefield data. Former Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal boasted in October that machine learning has allowed the system to detect Russian targets in 2.2 seconds, with 70% accuracy.
NATO allies got firsthand experience with Delta at the REPMUS wargames off the coast of Portugal in the fall of 2025. Ukraine used Delta to command and control over 100 unmanned platforms on land, sea, and air. The alliance created a new standard for Delta's integration, STANAG 4817.
Kyiv has recently allowed eligible allies access to the battlefield data that Delta collects, so it could be used to train AI used for military applications. Multiple analysts have told Euromaidan Press that Ukraine likely has the biggest organized database of up-to-date combat data in the world.
Ukraine-NATO cooperation
Ukraine and NATO have two main cooperation programs, both tailored to improve interoperability.
The first is the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC), launched in February 2025. Its goal is to incorporate lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale invasion into the alliance.
There is also the UNITE-Brave initiative, launched in November. It aims to bring Ukraine’s battle-tested tech into the alliance. That includes anti-drone systems, signals intelligence, countering electronic warfare, and unmanned ground systems.
The initiative set out a 10 million euro budget to give grants to companies from Ukraine and allied states, with an eye to raise that to 50 million euros in 2026. The most recent talks discussed improving cooperation between companies from both sides.
